Family History of Ovarian Cancer

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My wife died of ovarian cancer, and all of her paternal aunts did as well. Her brother died of abdominal cancer. I have two daughters, ages 45 and 43, and I worry about them. How likely are they to suffer from gynecologic cancers, and what beyond the normal measures should they be doing to protect themselves?

— John,
Texas

Your concern is understandable, and there are several things your daughters can do to protect themselves. The family history that you provide suggests the presence of a genetic predisposition to cancer that your wife would have inherited from her father's side of the family. If such a genetic predisposition is found to be present in the bloodline, chances are your daughters carry an increased risk for gynecologic cancers.

What can they do about it? They should discuss their family history in detail with their doctors. Especially helpful information includes how many relatives were affected by cancer and the approximate ages of the relatives when their cancers were diagnosed, so advise your daughters to do some investigative research in advance. They might also consider genetic testing. If there is a blood relative with one of the family-linked cancers who is still alive and willing to be tested, then the results of your daughters' tests will be more informative. Genetic testing involves analyzing the blood to determine whether a person has a mutation in one of the genes that we know can lead to an increased risk of cancer; the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes are examples of genes that when mutated in certain ways increase a person's risk for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and some other cancers. A genetic counselor, in tandem with a physician, can help decide which genes to test for and can explain what the results mean.

Depending on the results of the genetic testing, your daughters' medical histories, and their thoughts on bearing children in the future, certain interventions — ranging from surgical removal of the ovaries to specialized screening tests — may be recommended.

Last Updated: 10/2/2006

Dr. Martee L. Hensley is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. About Dr. Hensley.

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